Because I Love You
by lostsunsets
Summary: COMPLETED!HGXDM. He always loved her and always will. She calls it off, but when her life comes apart, and her friends aren't there for her, who will she turn to after she tells the only person to just leave her alone? and can she trust a male again?
1. Chapter 1

"Please, Draco, I can't do this anymore. Just leave me alone," Hermione said trying to shake the tears away. He took a step closer and she backed up against the wall. He looked into her dark eyes and saw that she meant it.

"All right, Hermione. I'll leave, but know this," he said gently. "I'll be here for you whenever you need me…I'm not giving up on us." He reached out to wipe away her tears, but caught himself, he turned away and left. She watched him go and slid down against the wall and cried.

As she sat on the train with her friends the next day, she told them about the breakup. She told them how she felt broken after what he had done, and how she couldn't look him in the eye anymore. Harry allowed her to lean on his shoulder and rest, after not being able to sleep that night.

Draco sat on the train staring out the window, thinking about how he had screwed up. If only I could've explained that she was a cousin and nothing else, he thought. How could I've been so stupid? He got up and began to walk towards the same spot that she always sat with her friends. He froze when he saw her sleeping on the seat and Ron and Harry on the other talking. She looked peaceful, like she always did when he was nearby. And he was always ready incase she needed him to comfort her. He stood there the rest of the ride to Hogwarts, just incase she needed him, then when the train stopped he ran back to his section so she wouldn't notice him.

She got off the train and breathed in the cool night air, she somehow felt empty inside without him. Her last year of Hogwarts and already she felt like it wasn't anything like what she used to call home. A part of her was missing. She and her friends began to walk towards the carriages when Draco walked by. He froze for a second and said, "Hermione, please, can we talk?"

"Draco…no. It's over, now leave me alone." She said, pain crossing into her eyes.

"Hermione. Please…"

"No."

He reached out for her hand when Harry said, "Just stay away from her, Malfoy!"

He looked at him then back at Hermione, nodded then left. They turned to look at Hermione to make sure that she was okay, but before they could say anything, she said, "I'm fine guys, I think I'm going to walk instead. Meet you up there…"

"But Hermione…"

"I just need some time to think and be alone for awhile." They nodded then left without her.

She walked through the forest, it being a shortcut to the school. It then began to rain harder and harder, she then began to regret going alone. She could see the school as she grew closer, just then she was pulled from behind. A hand over her mouth and then she was thrown hard to the ground. She moaned in pain as she hit the corner of a root with her back. She began to get up when she was kicked in the ribs and knocked back down. She was then flipped over and the attacker was on top of her tearing off her sweatshirt. She struggled against him, but he was too strong and now had his hand around her neck choking her as he squeezed harder and harder. She was then backhanded across the face, causing her vision to slightly blur.

Draco didn't see Hermione in the Great Hall, but just figured that she was getting settled in, still tried from the trip. Little did he know that the love of his life was being raped at this very second.

Her attacker got up afterwards and straightened himself then pointed his wand at her and used the Crucio curse. She fidgeted in pain, begging him to let her go, he finally released the curse and knocked her out cold then went to the feast.

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**A/N: please let me know if i should go on! reviews are always appreciated! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: sorry it took so long, i was stuck...let me know if you have any ideas that you'd like to see in the story!**

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Draco got up the next day before anyone else in his house, and went for a walk. His mind wandered back to that night when she saw him with her. He didn't even realize when reached the edge of the forbidden forest. He paused and looked down towards the deeper base of the further trees and saw a figure lying a crumpled heap.

Rolling his eyes and taking out his wand then ventured into the woods. As he got closer, he saw brown hair attached to a seventeen year old girl. He then saw a torn light blue sweatshirt lying in front of him. He bent down and picked it up and saw that Hermione was wearing it last night. Fear took over his mind and he began to run towards the girl. He got there and dropped to his knees when he saw Hermione lying there with blood trickling down her eyebrow and cheek and bruises on her body. He brushed a stray hair out of her eyes and touched her cheeks gently. She flinched slightly from his touch, but she didn't wake.

He quickly scooped her up into his arms and ran her in towards the hospital wing. As Madame Pomfrey told him to place her on the bed, he slowly took her hand into his and she began to ask what happened, he kept replying that he didn't know what happened and that he found her while he was out for a walk. He watched as she began to examine her arms, finding that her wrist was sprained and then came to the conclusion that she was raped. She however did not tell Malfoy that.

The week passed and she continued to lay unconscious. He sat in the chair near her bed and held her hand gently between his. He refused to leave her side even when Dumbledore asked him to, he said that he wanted to be there for when she woke up, afraid that if she needed him he wouldn't be there. Draco laid back in his chair but didn't take his eyes off of her sleeping form.

The next day Harry and Ron came to visit her in the hospital. They brought her the assignments for potions, even though it was already done by Harry, just so Snape wouldn't be mad at them. Draco got up and said, "Potter, Weasley."

"Malfoy," they both said. "What did you do?" Harry asked.

"I didn't do a thing. I found her like that in the forbidden forest." He answered defensively.

They were about to get into it farther when Madame Pomfrey entered and shooed Harry and Ron, telling them that Dumbledore only said that Malfoy could stay. They hesitated then left. He turned back to Hermione and saw her stir, he ran over to her side and sat back in his chair then grabbed her hand.

She blinked her eyes open and saw that she was lying in the hospital wing of the school. She looked at who had her hand and saw him sitting there relief over his face. She began to sat up, but stopped when she felt a sharp pain in her back. She looked at him and said, "Draco…" He gave her one of his crooked smiles. "What happened? What are you doing here?"

He leaned closer to her and said, "You're okay, Hermione."

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay away."

His heart broke into two. "I-I'm sorry…" He got up and left.

She watched him go. What the hell am I doing, she thought. He probably saved me, and I just kicked him out. Tears fell out of her eyes and she leaned back into her pillow, wincing at the pain in her back. Oh, God, she thought. I love him still, what is happening to me?

Just then Madame Pomfrey walked in and over to her, she told Hermione what happened and how Draco had found her and brought her in immediately, and also that he didn't leave her side no matter what he was told. She waited until she was gone, then Hermione cried softly to herself. How did my life get so screwed, she thought.

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**A/N: Sorry if i made Hermione too..."bitchy" if that's the word? It's all a part of what'll happen in the upcoming chapters, promise!! i do love hermione! she's the best!! RxR please!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: soooo sooo sorry it took forever to update!! i was stuck on how to continue it!! but hopefully that'll be over now!! i hope you guys will forgive me!**

**thanks to: IheartDracoandRon and ! you guys gave me some good ideas! thanks!!**

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The day that Hermione was released from the hospital, she couldn't get the fact that Draco had never once left her side. She couldn't look her friends in the eye and wouldn't even look his way. She sat in Defense Against the Dark Arts and could feel the eyes from the back of the room digging into her soul. She turned back to the lesson, trying to get distracted from what was happening.

He watched her closely, wanting to hold her in his arms like he once did. He wished things were different between them, and he wanted to kill the evil sonovabitch that did this to her. The period ending and he got up and left as soon as he made sure that she got out all right first. He and his "sidekicks", Crabbe and Goyle made their way to their next class, but as they talked, he watched her walk away with her two best friends.

At dinner, Hermione sat with her friends and looked up. Her cinnamon brown eyes met with his gray eyes, they froze for a split second then she broke away. He quickly hid the pain that was in his eyes, and replaced it with his usual cold-hearted stare.

Draco turned back to the conversation when he heard, "She was good, for a MudBlood, that is." He quickly turned around and saw that Goyle was the one that had said it. He starred at him, trying not to look as if you wanted to kill him. He would wait until dinner was over then he would find out the truth about what he had done to his love that made her broken.

Hermione sat in the common room, along with Ron and Harry, she starred at the words in the book, but they didn't give her comfort like they used to. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, a headache beginning to form. Just then flashes of a green and sliver tie dangling loosely around someone's neck. They had dark short hair and was of a bigger build. She quickly opened her eyes and saw her friends staring at her. "What," she asked.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" Harry asked getting up from the chair and sitting down next to her on the sofa.

She gave a fake smile and said, "I'm fine. Just tired, you know. I think I'm going to call it a night." She got up and headed towards the stairs, when Harry jogged over to her.

He smiled then gave her a hug. She flinched at the pain in her lower back, but he didn't notice. "I'm always here for you, 'Mione."

"Thanks, Harry." She then left.

She got ready for bed, and starred at herself in the bathroom mirror. She had a scar on her upper arm that ran down from her right shoulder to her elbow. Bruises covered her abdomen and her thighs. She slipped into her pajamas and sat on her bed. She pulled her knees up to her chest and cried silently to herself.

Draco waited for everyone else to go to bed before he went to his room and saw Goyle taking off his robes, he went over to him and said, "Goyle. Can we talk for a sec?"

"Sure."

"Let's go downstairs." Draco led him down and when he knew that they wouldn't be disturbed, he turned to him and said, "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Goyle shook his head and said, "Nothing, Malfoy."

Draco shook his head and then cocked his fist and punched him in face. He doubled over clutching his broken nose. "I know what you did, Goyle. I know how you destroyed her!"

"Please, that filthy MudBlood had it coming to her."

He punched him again, this time in the ribs. "You think you can hurt her? Huh? My Hermione!"

"She loved it, every second of it! And she was good. Every. Single. Inch. Of. Her. Filthy. Little. MUDBLOOD. Body."

Draco punched him once again then kicked him in the ribs. "You're no friend of mine." He then left him, bleeding and moaning in pain. He got to the dungeons and knocked on his door. The door opened and Snape stood there in front of him. "I need to talk to you."

He told Snape the entire story and how Goyle had raped and assaulted his second favorite student. Snape then told him that he'd make sure that he was expelled immediately, and that he'd do his best to keep Hermione out of it.

The next day, Goyle was expelled and was escorted off the land and to Azkaban. Draco searched the school for Hermione, but couldn't find her anywhere. He instead ran into Harry and Ron, he approached them and said, "Where's Hermione?"

Harry turned to him and said, "Leave her the hell alone. We know it was you, Malfoy!"

"What?" He asked shocked.

"We know that it was _you_ who did that to her."

"I didn't lay a bloody finger on her, Potter. I would never, even think about doing something like that. I love her too damn much. And I'm sorry for what I did, even though I didn't do anything. I know who did and they got expelled just a minute ago and is headed to Azkaban. But if you don't believe me, that's your problem, but I didn't do a Goddamn thing to her!"

Harry starred at him and looked into his eyes and saw that he didn't do it. "All right, Malfoy, I believe what you're saying, but if you ever do hurt her, than I'm going to kill you."

"Harry-" Ron started.

"Shut up, Ron. I know what I'm doing. I trust him, he loves Hermione and he did save her." He turned back to Malfoy and released a sigh and said, "She said, that she was going down to where it happened."

"Thank you." He then ran off and out of the school.

She sat on the thick root that they threw her into. The dry blood still on the spot. Memories of what had happened flashed across her mind. Tears made their way into her eyes, and tried to keep a brave face. She then heard footsteps coming up behind her. She took out her wand and turned around ready to hex the person. She froze when she heard, "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." She lowered her guard and starred at him, as he lowered his surrender pose. "How you feeling?"

"Fantastic. How do you think I feel?" She said sarcastically. "I was bloody raped, Draco."

"I know, I'm sorry, Hermione. But I wanted you to know, he's gone. I found out who it was and they were expelled. You're safe now, I just wanted to let you know." He turned to leave, when she grabbed his wrist. She saw the white bandage wrapped around his right hand, and the blood that was seeping through across the knuckles, but she would ask him about that later.

"Wait." She searched his eyes, wondering how he knew who it was. But his eyes gave it all away. The love he still held for her, the amount of sorry he felt, the pain from finding her broken, and the hatred in his eyes he held for the one responsible. She then realized that he was staring at her wondering what she wanted, she then asked, "Why did you save me? I told you to leave me alone. And yet, you…why?"

"Because I love you, Hermione. I'd do anything and everything for you to love me again. I didn't realize how much I've missed you until you were gone. And that morning, finding you so hurt, it just killed me. I wanted so badly to take away the pain that you were going through and had gone through. And I know that it was my fault, I should've been there, but I wasn't and for that I'm truly sorry. I never meant to hurt you as badly as I did. I understand if you don't want me around anymore, but I just wanted to let you know, that I'll always be here. To comfort you, or to kick some guys ass. I'm crazy about you, Granger." He saw a tear come down her cheek and gently brushed it away. "I love you so damn much."

She looked up at him, and then he kissed her softly on her lips. She was taken aback at first and then she gave in, and wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands wrapped around her lower back and deepened the kiss even more. Man, how long he wanted to kiss her like that again.

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**AN: so do you guys hate me? yea no? let me know!! also dont forget to hit the review button! thanks! btw, i'm kinda getting busy, you know end of the school coming up, but i'll try and update every week or so!!**


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione pulled away from the kiss and starred at him, confused about what just happened. Not once has he confessed his feelings towards her like that, and now he told her the truth and she was completely shocked. Draco took her hands into his and softly held them down at his hip level. She looked up at him and tried to shake away the unshed tears, her emotions started to mix and she didn't know what to say to him. Just then he said, gently, almost a whisper, "I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone now. I promise. It'll be as if you and I never were together. I'm gone." He then slowly walked away.

She walked into the Gryffindor common room and saw Harry and Ron sitting around the fire talking about the next Qudittch practice the following day. She walked over and sat down next to Harry. He turned to her and said, "You all right, Hermione?"

"I'm fine. What's going on?" She asked sensing something was going on.

"Nothing. It's all good," Ron said.

"Okay. Harry?"

"Hermione," he began, he glanced at Ron then back at her. "Who attacked you?" He whispered so that only they could hear.

She starred at him and said, "I don't know. I vaguely remember that night." She thought then continued, "I remember a Slytherin tie, the last thing I saw was….ugh, I don't know."

"It's okay, 'Mione. Don't worry about it. Just one question, was it Malfoy?" Ron asked.

"No way. Why would you…. He would never do that. Not in a million years." She then got up and stormed out.

Weeks passed and Harry and Ron tried to talk to Hermione, but she just ignored them as they tried to tell her that it was probably Malfoy who had attacked her that first night back. She refused to listen, knowing that they were just trying to get her to never see him or talk to him again.

While walking through the hallways, they pulled her over and talked to her once again. Ron said, "Hermione, you have to listen to us."

"No, Ronald. I _know _that it wasn't him, now leave me the hell alone!"

He grabbed her wrist and said, "Hermione, if you can't see that, than we can't be friends with you. You're in love with the guy who raped you, and we can't take it. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it has to be."

"Fine! If you and Harry don't trust me than we shouldn't be friends. And we're not so let me go." She walked away, hiding the tears that were threatening to fall. Her best friends just abanded her and said that they didn't trust her anymore and that hurt her more than being raped had.

Draco walked along the Black Lake, thinking about her. His mind wondered how she was and how she was dealing with everything. He had talked with Snape about her missed assignments and he agreed to excuse them. His green and sliver scarf blew with the wind and in the distance, by the base of an old tree he saw her, head in her knees. He looked around and saw that she was definitely alone then he released a sigh and slowly walked up to her. He tilted his head and saw that she was crying. Even though he promised to leave her alone, he couldn't stand to see her like that and he had to do something. He stood twenty feet away, keeping his distance, then he said in a worried voice, "Hermione?"

She wiped the tears away then looked up and saw him standing nearby. "Dra- Malfoy, what do you want?"

Malfoy? She hasn't called him that since before they began to date. He just shrugged it off and continued. "I was just out walking, then I saw you, so…Are you all right?"

She gave a fake smile and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He cautiously took a step forward and pushed on her a bit, trying to get the truth out of her. "You never were a good liar. You can tell me, Granger."

"It's nothing, I feel so stupid."

"It's not nothing."

She got up and said, "You said that it'll be like we never were. You_ lied. _Harry and Ron believe that it was you who attacked me. Did you?"

"How could you even think that? You know me better than that."

"That's what I told them, but now they won't even talk to me. I love you, Draco. I can't just walk away like you did."

"Do you think it was easy for me, Hermione? It was the hardest thing that I've ever done in my life, but I did it. Because you asked me to leave you alone."

"Draco-"

"Please, Hermione, don't ask me to stay away anymore, 'cause I can't handle it. I miss you."

"I don't want you to, I need you now, more than ever. I need you, I just can't trust anyone anymore." He walked up closer to her.

"Trust me," he said gently. "I swear I'll take care of you."

She looked into his gray eyes and smiled. He wasn't lying. She nodded then he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his perfect, strong, tan chest. "I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too, Draco." He smiled and kissed her once again.

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**AN: ok sorry that the last chapter was short, but there will be a sequel if you guys want one. let me know! hope you enjoyed!! reviews are always appreciated!! :)**


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